Pages

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

bird's egg blue

dear friends, this post began in my mind last week when a friend requested a blue
hand knit scarf. the pattern and wool were found at quince & co. and two days later the wool
was in my hands. three days later, the shawl was complete. as i was thinking how
i'd like to photograph this before sending it on it's way, i received this email from a favorite
local yarn store in santa barbara...

Loop & Leaf News

You won't want to miss out on Gale Zucker's fun upcoming class here at Loop & Leaf. You will first meet here at the shop, then hit the streets with your cameras in this Photo Safari. Gale will help you find inspirational backdrops fitting for your most beautiful hand-knits right here in front of you!
Gale has photographed knitted objects in many familiar books, such as Craft Activism, Shear Spirit and Mason Dixon: Knitting Outside the Lines.
Class will be held Tuesday, March 20th from 10am-1pm - don't forget to sign up.

and that very minute, i did! knitting and photography? and to have a chance to learn from a professional? it's like a dream come true! below are a few photos from today, the above photos (of me) were taken by classmates. thank you mirna and celeste!

our first exercise was to choose a color and shoot it. i decided on yellow. for the first day of spring today.

we learned about different types of backgrounds to shoot our knits in front of. isn't this shawl beautiful?

gorgeous

look how the design in this beautiful shawl mimics the metal gate. and isn't this a clever way to
display and photograph this shawl?

knits clinging magically to fences and trees

here are my mittens modeled by my new friend mirna. she makes them look so pretty, even though
this photo didn't turn out well. now if gale had taken it...her photos are truly beautiful.

we learned about light and how to use it to its best

i learned so much, made new friends, and spent an afternoon with knitting and photography.
it was a perfect day. thank you so much gale and joan (she joined us later for book signing).

shawl : piper's journey - quince & co.
designer : paula emons-fuessle
wool : chickadee
colorway : bird's egg
shawl pin found :here
ravelry notes : here
i loved knitting this, the pattern was fun and interesting. the shawl part is made first and then the lace is knitted on sideways after. i'll make it again, and with chickadee, what a beautiful wool it is.
julie, i hope you like it :)

the book i'm reading is craft activism by joan tapper and photographed by gale zucker. i still can't believe the happy coincidences, (is that a word?), i bought the book, then learned about the workshop, finished the shawl last night (it was even a touch damp still from blocking.) and came away with lovely photos and new inspiration. all in time for yarn along. hee hee.

77 comments:

Lori, what an perfectly amazing gift for you, knitting and photography! There is not a better fit! It sounds like you spent the most wonderful time surrounded by some lovely people who share your passion. Oh my, and all those knits....I am just in awe! So much talent is in this world and it justmakes my heart swell to see it.I hope you have the lovliest of days my friend.

Hi Lori, all very inspiring : ) Firstly, the blue scarf is so elegant and beautiful, well done girl, that is one lucky friend. Your class sounds really interesting and helpful though it also occurs to me that you could GIVE a class like that with your wonderful eye and way with the camera. Enjoy!x M

OFHS(oh for heaven's sake)Its perfect.So versitile too. The color, the style, the lace edge. And Lori , I have a pin like the one you are wearing in the picture! so I can wear it all those different ways. I will treasure it. All the yellows are so fresh and generate so much warmth. I'm fascinated by that round scrim /screen the lady is holding up to diffuse the light.Kind of like a wispy little cloud blocking out the sun at just the right moment to take off the glare. All your co-students work is stunning!xxxlucky julie

If only I didn't live on the opposite side of the country :( sigh. What I wouldn't give to get a day like this. Professional photography and knitting wrapped together in one. So amazing. I love, love, love the scarf you made. I love both the color and the style. I love the detail across the bottom.

Your shawl is beautiful Lori, that blue suits you very well, are you planning on making one for yourself? Sounds like you had a fantastic day, all the photos, are amazing! I especially like the house picture - it looks like it's going to positively burst from all the colour on and around it.

Imagine a knitting and photography workshop! That must a rare one. Love,love your shawl. The colour is perfect. Go on. Do spill the beans. How do the socks stay up there? I'm not going to believe magic on this one!

Such a pretty blue scarf, Lori...and beautiful pictures of you wearing it too. It was so interesting to read about the knitting photography....I find knitting the hardest craft to take good pictures of. A friend made me a pretty scarf/shawl last year and I wear it a lot and treasure it, but so far haven't taken a really good picture of it! Loved the nest filled with bird's eggs too....one of my favourite things!Have a happy day!Helen x

I just LOVE when all those serendipity events line up!!! I just simply can't imagine anything better than a photography class for knitters!!! (I'm hoping my squam class might come close, but I'm sure it's not going to be the perfect match you found!!!) I adore your piper's journey. I started one using some silk from my stash, and I'm just not sure I'm loving it as much as if it were in wool. The silk has no give to it--does the finished shawl need the blocking to attain correct length? Yours drapes so beautifully. And was styled perfectly (as ALL your posts are!!!)

(and what is in store for the beautiful green and gold yarns already balled up and begging to be cast on????)

it did need blocking steph, the chickadee is so nice for this shawl, after a soak and a block it feels like silk. i think you'd love it. the wool in the photo is from iceland, another shawl to be thats in the queue!

:-) Oh Lori, my smile became bigger and bigger while reading your post. Such beauty! What a lucky girl you are to have found a workshop on knitting and photography, so very, very perfect!And you are such a wonderful, beautiful model, I love your hair so much!

And I do know that book ;-) isn't it fantastic? This crafting table is even better then a seasonal corner I guess, or acctually it is a mix of both, just perfect!

I love how your friends nails match perfectly with the purple in those fingerless mittens but I am a real color freak, so here we go again...Have a very beautiful, blessed day Lori!

How absolutely beautiful. The blue of the shawl is just gorgeous and your day out looks like so much fun. And so many talented people in the world, the shawl on the gate, love the green socks, how do they stay there, I could go on for ever. And the yellow house is just lovely.

Such a beautiful post, as always Lori!Your shawl is gorgeous & your knitters photography class sounds like so much fun ~ your 'yellow themed' photographs are simply stunning ♥ Looks like your corner of the world is filled with inspiration {much like your lovely blog}.Happy Spring!

Dear Lori...This is a lovely shawl and the colour is indeed robin's egg blue. I really love your yellow photos. I showed my husband the surfing photos of your fella and then that took us to his photography...Stunning! You are a very talented couple!!! Mostly, I just love the warmth you exude in your photos and in your words...I wish I was your neighbour:)xo Jules

sounds exactly like the class I need to attend..if they could change the knitting goodies to books!:) The shawl is so pretty, and the photos are beautiful.My fave is actually the one with the mittens :)x

Oh my word. Well, THAT all wanted to happen! I love synchronicities. Co-incidences (which is NOT how it's spelled, but I read it somewhere written with the hyphen and liked how it highlights that the incidents are not accidental at all). Your scarf and photos are a dream. And that yarn, the colour is exquisite.

Wow - that shawl is amazing and I can't believe it only took you 3 days. You rule! And that seems like a really fun class. Isn't it funny how when you want to share your knitting you need a whole other skill set: photography!

Knitting and photography? Perfect! Such a beautiful shawl. I always love your knitting. I am sure your friend will be over the moon! Your yellow shots are simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing with us!xo

My friends and I are pictured on pages 128 & 129 of Craftactivism(Part V - Crafting A Community) with our Rhinebeck Hats for that year. I'm the one in the light colored hat on the left (WifeMomKnitter). It's pretty cool to say that you're pictured in a crafting book. ;-)

How wonderful, and I am green with envy. A fun and really useful class. Lucky you!

Beautiful, beautiful shawl Lori, and I love that colour. How did you find the Piper's Shawl pattern to knit? I began one with a substitute yarn but my yarn just didn't like those double YOs along the edge and no amount of blocking was going to sort it out so I ripped it and ending up designing my own again instead (... why do I keep doing this it's so time consuming?).

I'm loving thinking that I'm here on my side of the ocean and you're over there on your side and somewhere between us is your book and your darling block with your perfect choice of word and colour :D

Hello Lori,Nice to meet you. What alovely spot you have here. I learned so much in the beautiful post. Your photgraphy is amazing, lovely compostion and light!I will be back to visit.Have lovely week.Camillaxo

my dear lori: to take not one scintilla of creative credit away from gale, but just in case you might not know, you could also teach this class. we should not let modesty interfere with reality. :^) you are a master knitter and a master photographer and a pretty darn good friend too.

This looked and sounds like the perfect day for you!I can imagine how cool this must have been for you combining 2 of the things you are already good at and then even learn more.......Lovely pictures of a lovely day! The scarf is wonderful!♥M

lori, having met you in person, i can tell you that this is your color... there is something otherworldly and mystical about it - how amazing it can be captured in yarn, and what an elegant form to find itself in. the pinned closure only adds to its uniqueness.

Oh my! This was just the perfect storm of happy events! Wow! Knitting and photography! It couldn't have been more perfect! Your photos are truly vibrant and beautiful. And the shawl is absolutely gorgeous! A blue, woolen hug. :)

That is truly a work of art and the fact that you could knit it in three days is amazing. Also, I love your hair style....very elegant. I was wondering..what is your favorite camera and lens? I use a Nikon D90 and am trying to figure out what the best all around lens for that camera. Since you are pretty professional with the camera, I would interested in your thoughts on that. Thanks and congrats on the gorgeous shawlLayne

I just wanted to say how beautiful I think you are, not in a smooshy way, but oh well, I'm sure you know what I mean! The photos of you in this post are truly stunning. Soooo beautiful.Happy days to you Lori ♥Lucexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lori, I am so enjoying your blog-I am finally catching up on links from the classes in California. I love your photography & crafting & styling and the looks at nature. So wonderful to meet you in the SB class, I hope our paths cross again soon (and I'll be following you here, until then).XOgz

Copyright

2008-2014by Lori Graham

All rights reserved. Please do not use my photos or reprint my writing without asking me for permission.

Thank you!

Follow by Email

May the Sun bring you new energy by day.
May the Moon softly restore you by night.
May the Rain wash away your worries.
May the Breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
~ Apache Blessing